Honesty, Accountability and Trust: Fostering Research Integrity in Canada

Academic research is a core driver of modern society. It plays a major role in economic competitiveness, environmental protection, and the health and safety of Canadians. The proper conduct of research is critical to its credibility, the public’s trust in its outcomes, and the integrity of the published record. A common understanding of research integrity would be valuable to granting agencies, research institutions, individual researchers, students, and all those interested in research results.

Industry Canada asked the Council of Canadian Academies to conduct an assessment examining the key research integrity principles, procedural mechanisms, and appropriate practices for their application across research disciplines and institutions in Canada.

The Expert Panel on Research Integrity concluded that there is a need to foster a positive, values-based environment for research integrity in Canada. The Panel identified the need for a common, system-wide approach to research integrity that involves all actors and disciplines in the research community, and proposed a new entity, the Canadian Council for Research Integrity (CCRI). The CCRI would serve as a central educational and advisory arm on issues of research integrity, which would help to address the gaps in the current system by enhancing its transparency and accountability.

Formally released on October 21, 2010, at the Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC) in Montréal, the Chair of the Expert Panel, Dr. Paul Davenport, President Emeritus of the University of Western Ontario, presented the report’s findings to a diverse audience of stakeholders.

Dr. Paul Davenport, Chair of the Expert Panel on Research Integrity, speaking at the Canadian Science Policy Conference in Montreal, on October 21st, 2010

Assessment question

What are the key research integrity principles, procedural mechanisms, and practices, appropriate in the Canadian context, that could be applied across research disciplines at institutions receiving funds from the federal granting councils?